Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

Juniper Bean has just hit a low point in her life (and her life has had some LOW points). So she's moving back to the town where she grew up. And, shocker, her new roommate is her old tutor. 

Aiden is NOT happy to see Juniper. She's the student who gave him a Christmas gift and then tried to kiss him. He could have gotten in so much trouble so he rebuffed her as hard as he could. Now she's living in his house acting as if that interaction never happened.

I never connected with Juniper nor could I really understand what the two of them had in common other than attraction. And this story line felt sort of adjacent to the mystery of the body that the two discover which is somehow tied in to the mystery of Juniper's birth.

Three stars

This book came out March 31, 2023

Happily Ever Homicide #1

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

A number of people are gathered at the Manor in Tome. Francesca Meadows has refitted her family mansion to be a fancy health spa and this is the opening weekend. But there seem to be a number of things going wrong. Not with her new husband of course; she and Owen Dacre are just perfect. Aren't they? But there are little cracks starting to show everywhere. Not everyone is who they seem to be and the past may be coming back to haunt her.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 18, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Wow, if you liked Practical Magic, you will really enjoy this book as well. The Waverly family is well known in Bascom, North Carolina as being a little strange. The apples from the tree in their back yard will show you the most significant happening in your life. If it's good, the rest of life pales in comparison and if it's bad... you spend the rest of your life trying to avoid it. That's what happened to Claire and Sydney's mother. She ate an apple and spent the rest of her life running. It affected the way both Claire and Sydney grew up. Claire clung to the town while Sydney couldn't wait to get away. But now Sydney's back with her young daughter.

I would definitely compare this to Alice Hoffman, not least because of the mystical elements, Claire is a fantastic gardener and can cook emotions into the food she serves up in her catering business. Sydney's daughter knows where things belong. And Clair and Sydney's cousin Evanelle always knows when to give people things (including giving condoms to a married woman whose husband is known to be impotent). Great read, would love to read it again.

Four and a half stars

This book came out August 28, 2007

Waverly Family #1

Followed by First Frost

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus catalog

Opinions are my own

A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley

While we've met Ben in previous books in the series, I don't think it's necessary to have read them before diving into this book. It will help keep track of secondary characters to have read the other books. 

Ben is fairly content in his life. He has good friends, a great family, and a business that's expanding. He could use someone to fall in love with though. And the wedding that opens this book makes him especially maudlin. Which is how he ends up buying a plastic rock that supposedly contains a vampire succubus. For 99 cents (plus shipping), why not?
Eleanora has been trapped in that plastic rock off and on for over 600 years. She knows a little bit about the real world since the witch who imprisoned her, Isobel, lets her out every once in awhile. Mostly to sic Eleanora on Isobel's enemies but there have been opportunities to learn more about the real world. Still, it's been nearly 60 years since she was last out. But her new owner, Ben, seems like a nice guy. Which is very confusing since this not what she's used to. She's certainly attracted to the man though and that is helping while she tries to navigate the contemporary world and free herself from the stone. 

Glimmer Falls #3

Three and a half stars

Follows A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Joyful Recollections of Trauma by Paul Scheer

I really enjoy "How Did This Get Made" but wasn't sure I wanted to read about someone else's trauma. I did like that Paul Scheer read his own book. And it was spliced together with clips of Paul reading sections at various podcast shows. 

There was quite a bit of trauma but Paul tells the stories with a bit of humor (thus the title). But there are also a lot of stories just about Paul's life.

Four stars

This book came out May 21, 2024

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Technology was touted as making our lives easier but that is often not what has happened. Instead, we are working harder than ever, often, without considering what it's doing to our mental health. there is an overwhelm of emails.
Newport brings together the works of many other authors who have written similar themes. There are stories of people who have worked both slowly and productively. He also presents ideas on how achieve productivity without burning yourself out.
This book was fine but it felt like a lot of filler- references to other similar books or the author's own writings.

Three stars

This book came out March 5, 2024

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Revenge Club by Kathy Lette

This book is very much an updated First Wives' Club (the movie) if Stockard Channing had lived. There's even a reference to "Sisters are Doing It for Themselves." 

Four women are in their late fifties. Three of them think they are at their pinnacles. They are about to find out that that is the opposite of the truth. But they are willing to fight their way back up to the top. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out August 6, 2024

ARC kindly provided by Aria & Aries and NetGalley

Opinions are my own